Problems with 2005 Nissan Titan POWER TRAIN

i am an a.s.e. certified technician, and have discovered the rear axle seals on both sides of the vehicle are leaking , in which can cause fluid to be slung on to brake linings , also if too much leaks can lead to differential lock up . *tr

Axle seal failure resulting in oil on the inside of both rear wheels and oil soaking rear brakes rendering rear brakes useless. *tr

I have a 2005 nissan titan. on thanksgiving evening my family and i were driving home on a major highway when all of a sudden i heard a clunk and lost acceleration. i was in the middle of the highway and had to cross 3 lanes to try and get over to the shoulder. we nearly got hit by many passing cars due to the immediate loss of power and slowing of my truck. after finally towing the truck to the shop i found out that, for the second time, the rear differential went out. the first time was at 75000 miles and the second at 125000 miles. both times i am stuck footing the bill. needless to say my only mode of transportation is still sitting broken until i am able to pay the 3500 dollars to get it fixed. *tr

Rear axel seal is leaking for the third time, which can compromise the rear brakes with axel fluid. nissan made the first repair at 30,000 miles under warranty. i paid for parts and made repairs myself the second time. now at the third i have contacted nissan consumer affairs, and they have refused, with no explanation, to help with this repair, even though they issued an internal service bulletin in 2010, to replace the complete axel with bearing and seal. so nissan is aware that they have an issue with the early model titans. i guess they are waiting for someone to be seriously injured or die before they address this issue. *tr

Left side rear wheel, axle seal leaking onto brake disc. diagnosed when i had new tires installed. *tr

Originally heard a light noise on deceleration. was unsure of origin or severity but suspected brake wear. noise changed over the course of a month and on final trip into nearby shop for diagnostics it had grown much louder while decelerating. shop suspected rear axle seal leak and differential failure. had truck flatbed towed to nearby nissan dealership and they found little evidence of leak and plenty of fluid. yet the differential had failed entirely. they suspected a ring and pinion failure though they didn't crack open the case as parts/labor make repair prohibitively costly. after checking salvage prices they recommended a full replacement with a new nissan axle. i was lucky because apparently this kind of differential failure can lock up the rear wheels while driving at speed causing a very dangerous situation. this truck is primarily driven around town. it's never driven off-road and never towed anything nor carried large loads - it's been babied. seals and differentials should not prematurely fail in a lightly driven, well-maintained vehicle which was designed and promoted for heavy duty use. *tr

While driving my truck home from work,i noticed the sound of the exhaust became progressively louder. i parked the truck for the night. prior to leaving the next morning i tried to locate the source of the increased noise. however, i noticed after starting the vehicle the noised would decrease. therefore, i took the truck to my mechanic for diagnosis. he told me that the header on one side is cracked and the other header on the other-side shows signs of stress. also, he explained this a common issue with the nissan titan and i might want to explore my repair option with the local nissan dealership. however, after discussing this issue with the nissan dealership, i was told there is no recall for the notorious issue and the cost of the repair is my responsibility. upon hearing this, i decide i would lodge my complaint about this issue here. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan titan pickup. the contact stated that while driving the vehicle it started sputtering and ran out of fuel on the highway. the vehicle was towed to the dealer who stated there was a recall nhtsa campaign id number: 10v074000 (fuel system, other: storage: fuel gauge system). the contact mentioned that after having the recall repairs performed, strong fumes continued to emit in and around the vehicle. in addition, the vehicle failed to accelerate pass 40 mph. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer in three different occasions within the week to repair the fuel system. the dealer repaired the fuel level sender and the ecm relay. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 89,000.

The vehicle braking began to deteriorate so i checked each wheel, front and back. while inspecting the rear brake pads and rotors i noticed oil on both. upon further inspection i noticed that the rear axle seal on both sides was leaking oil and it had gotten on the rotors and pads. i replaced both rotors and all pads on the rear, and inspected the rear axle vent which i found plugged. i installed a new vent but the rear axle seals are still leaking and need to be replaced. in doing research on the problem i found it to be common on this vehicle. *tr

Rear differential spider gears broke apart, leaving me with no power to drive train or ability to accelerate. *tr

Started having over heating issues in 8/2012. eventually had radiator completely replaced in 2/14. had transmission flushed around same time. on 3/26/14, i was on the interstate going 65mph when i lost use of the transmission, causing the engine to stall, barely avoiding a serious accident. today found out there is a defect with nissan radiators over heating and causing coolant to leak into the transmission, deteriorating the gears over time. spent around $1,000.00 getting the radiator replaced unaware of this factory defect. now i am without a functioning vehicle and i think lucky to be alive. *tr

Got in my truck to go to work today and while turning right out of my driveway the engine revved up and i was going no where. i let off the gas and as the motor rpm came down there was a loud bang and the vehicle jumped forward. continued down the road about 200ft and turned around. parked the truck. checked the fluid. metal shavings and chunks inside with plenty of fluid. also noticed a leaking rear wheel seal on the drivers side. this truck only has 78000 miles on it. absolutely unacceptable nissan. *tr

Front differential started making noise, when mechanics opened it, they said it was impossible to rebuild and i need a brand new assembly. (too much internal damage.) for the mileage this truck has, this part failed way to early. mechanic said it happened because of its poor design. now truck has 60,000 miles and rear differential started to leak. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan titan. while driving approximately 55 mph, there was a loud bang heard from the transmission as the vehicle failed to shift gears. the contact was able to continue driving and the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where it was determined that the overdrive and third gears would not operate. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 88,000. updated 9/13/12 *cn

Rear right axle seal began to leak on 5/14/12 was about to get fixed -kept diff full- (second time happened)... on 7/27/12 rear spider gears broke causing the right rear wheel to drag across the pavement in a parking lot. this has been a common occurrence with 04-07 offroad titans with the locking rear diff. if this failure happened on the highway and the rear wheels were to have stopped moving it could have caused a crash. nissan has since redesigned the rear end but this should be a recall for safety concerns. *tr

Was leaving a parking lot and when turning to the left felt a bump like something had been run over.drove home and felt bump several more times when turning left only. removed fill plug and saw pieces on metal on drain plug magnet. had vehicle towed to dealer and was told axle had failed and needed to be replaced.vehicle gave no warning signs and had all scheduled service done. *tr

My truck had a whine that sounded like brakes squealing. i had the nissan dealership check it out at my last service and the told me that the rear brakes would need to be replaced soon. so a few months later my truck suddenly began to pop and lunge when turning so i brought it in same day. $3,600.00 later i had a new rear end because the other one just "failed". really? no warranty, no nothing from nissan. checking this site (and others) this is a huge problem with titans. since this is a (dot) gov. site how about doing something about this! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan titan. the contact stated that he heard a grinding noise coming from the rear while driving 5 mph. the contact stopped and exited the vehicle. while allowing another person to drive the vehicle, the contact noticed that the grinding noise was coming from the rear differential. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and the contact was informed that the rear differential completely failed and the vehicle was not safe to be driven. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified and offered no assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 52,920. the vin was unavailable.

I looked outside and had a puddle of oil under the front of my truck. got the truck to a mechanic and he informed me that the front axle popped out of place. this truck is stock, no lifts and never goes off road. so this happened under normal driving conditions. a front axle should not just pop out of place. i just got it back from replacing the rear axle and seals as both were leaking. also the rear shackles on the vehicle rotted out. this vehicle has way too many problems for nissan not to be recalling and fixing these issues. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan titan. the contact stated that the rear of the vehicle seized suddenly and without warning. the contact took the vehicle to a mechanic and was advised that the rear differential failed. the contact stated that the rear seal was defective. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 98,000.

I started to feel a thud in the rear axle as i turned the vehicle. if felt like the axle was binding up. ultimately, i took it to nissan who said they could replace the axle for $3000. since this was way to expensive for a know defect, i had the locker replaced at four wheel parts. it cost nearly $2500 when all said and done. *tr

Rear differential completely failed at 102,000 miles. vehicle not drivable. do not use the vehicle off road with very little towing. this is my wife's vehicle.nissan refused to acknowledge any defect. cost to repair $3k. *tr

As my husband just got off the interstate the rear end completely blew out, parts went everywhere. wheels locked up. a gentleman that was walking brought me some parts that shot across the street. thank god i was off the interstate where the speed limit is 70 mph, the ending to this story would be more tragic. long story short, it was the entire rear end. looks like i am looking at a $2,000 repair that evidently nissan knows all about with the complaints and it is crazy they have not done a thing about it. i know and understand that things happen to vehicles, but we had no warning of what just took place. *tr

2005 nissan titan se - right rear axle seal leaking onto brakes. 80,000 miles on truck. *tr

Vehicle has only 49k miles on it and had to have the right rear axle seal replaced for the second time. this time out of my pocket as it was out of warranty. many titan owners are having this issue. appears there is no permanent fix for this issue. there should be a recall as if the fluid totally leaked out, i and many others could have a serious accident caused by the rear end failure. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan titan. while driving 25 mph, the contact smelled smoke coming from the vehicle when she drove to the side of the road. after inspection, she noticed that fluid was leaking from the vehicle. neither the dealer nor manufacturer were notified of the failure. the vehicle failure was not diagnosed or repaired. the current and the failure mileage was 130,762.

The rear end of my vehicle is make alot of noise which seems to get louder as i accelerate. i found out that noise is coming fom the differential. *tr

Rear axle seals leaking. diff fluid is getting on the brake rotors, pads,and wheels. *tt

First heard roaring (wub wub wub wub sound coming from underneath when truck was coasting approximately 45 mph (no accelerator pressed) the faster i was coasting the louder and higher the sound became. sounded like bad tires, but upon pressing accelerator pedal, noise would completely go away. i took the truck home immediately and called my mechanic to come drive it and diagnose the vehicle. he took it for a test drive, brought it back and told me do not drive this truck; it is too dangerous. something is seriously wrong with the drive train probably the wheel bearings of differential. he would not drive it to his garage either as he had his young daughter and her friend with him. he came back with another guy to drive his vehicle as he would drive mine to his shop and told me he would put it on the lift and check it out. he drove away. i went back inside and then a few minutes later i see him backing down the driveway. i went out and asked him what was wrong at which time he informed me he heard a clanging and stopped immediately, and upon inspection found the drive shaft had fallen out onto the ground. he found the nut and repaired it well enough to back it to my home down the driveway. he showed me underneath and fluid was everywhere. i could see a definite gap between the driveshaft and where it attaches at the rear axle. he came back with a car-hauler and will inform me as to the full extent of the damage. thank god this catastrophic failure did not occur on the highway at speed with traffic. i have also had severe brake shake like many, many other titan owners. *tr

It stop working for no reason . i was on a icy road the 4x4 light said that the truck was in 4wheel drive an it wasn,t .that cause a near acident! i got online and i see that this is a on going problem should be a recall

In 2005 4 months after i purchased the titan, i was involved in a minor rear end accident that dented the rear bumper. 2 months after the accident and the bumper was replaced i noticed seepage coming from the rear axle. i thought it was due to the accident and did not have the seals replaced. it was not. the leak has entered into my emergency brake system and it has never performed properly. on january 13, 2012 a loud noise from the rear end prompted me to exit the interstate where i noticed smoke and a burning oil smell coming from the axle. the bearings were replaced and i drove the truck for 20 miles and the truck broke down again. i reseached the problem on the internet and found many complaints regarding seal leaks and replacement of the axle shaft. i also found a 2010 service bulletin from nissan instructing replacement of the axle shaft and associated components. i have 200,000 miles on my truck and it has performed relatively well, but i have an issue with nissan for not addressing the issue and risking my familys' safety for 5 years before issuing a safety bulletin. *tr

2005 nissan titan 4x4 differential started making a noise when turning left or right from stop. we were told it could be limited slip issue and have fluid changed and make sure synthetic lube is put back in. mechanic showed me a part of a spider gear that was stuck to the magnetic drain plug. said we needed a new limited slip and probably not planetary gears. we were shocked when we were told that nissan prohibits the differential manufacturer from selling separate parts for the differential - you have to purchase the complete differential from nissan and it cost $2800 just for the part. checking this out on blogs, it appears that nissan had this problem on years '04 - '06 model years and they changed to a more substantial differential in 2008 because they must have seen the groundswell of totaled out differentials. most people just shell out the money and don't file complaints so unless nissan is forced to come clean on the problem we are you know what. my wife drives this truck to work everyday. we have pulled a boat trailer 6 times on 30 mile trips. this is a bunch of you know what. *tr

Had a bad sound coming out of front tire area. noticed grey oil the following day on my garage floor. 70,123 miles on it. took my '05 titan to my service guy. said the front differential is completely gone. got it repaired yesterday, $2100....looked online and saw folks with the same issues, many folks! seems to me nissan should own up to this being an issue with these model year trucks and correct the problem (ie recall) before its a major accident for someone. my mechanic noticed that the part number was superseded by another number, most likely meaning that nissan knows of the issue and that's their way of "correcting" the issue. only issue nissan, consumers pay for the issue. makes me want to re-think about purchasing another nissan product, i have two presently. *kb

Was driving our 2005 nissan titan approximately 15 mph when the rear differential failed. we were 30 seconds from getting on a major interstate. there was a loud "pop" sound and the truck jerked and seemed to slip out of gear and locked up. the truck was barely drivable. our mechanic determined that it was the rear differential. when he called nissan to order the parts to rebuild it, he was told by the nissan parts distributor that because of "previous problems" with the differential, they only sell the entire differential part, not the individual components, the part alone was $2900. our entire bill was $3800, and ofcourse we are out of warranty. we conducted research on this issue and found 80 complaints on this nhtsa website, countless consumer complaints on various websites, and even some court cases. nissan clearly knows about this potentially life-threatening issue in the 2004 and 2005 models and has done nothing about it to protect consumers. we will be pursuing this with nissan and will be taking legal action if necessary. not sure why nothing has been done about this especially given all the complaints out there. nhtsa should look into this issue as this defect is very dangerous and could cause a fatal accident (if it hasn't already). shame on you nissan. *tr

Failed rear end causing complete loss of power. i had two children in the car and the explosion scared them to say the least. *kb

Vehicle rear differential failed with out cause. with any slight turn of the wheel the entire vehicle would jump and a loud knocking sound was herd at the rear end. nissan dealership informed me that this seems to be an issue with the vent tubes corroded causing pressure to build up in the rear differential and the spyder gear(s) fail. nissan will not issue a recall for this issue and does not supply rebuild parts for the vehicle- their only fix is for me to purchase a new rear axle. searching on google has reviewed 168,000 hits for this problem. i find it difficult to believe that this is an isolated issue. my local transmission shop is unable to locate a used rear axle as demand for these parts is extremely high. had this happened on the highway it probably would have caused a fatal accident as a sudden locking of the rear end at 60 mph plus would cause a loss of control. *tr

2005 nissan titan king cab 2x4 leaking oil from both side of the axle. problem axle seek failure. upon taking the truck into the dealership for checkup and they quoted me for about $1700.00 in repairs. as per there tsb they will replace both axle seals and axle "tsb ntb10-032" if the seals fail on most of the titan's shouldn't nissan do a recall on this plus when i was there the service man stated that there tsb says to replace both axle which drives up the cost instead of just replacing the axle seal. *tr

I was in new york for the week. i was currently out spotting deer, i went to turn around, i put the truck in reverse and it sounded like my rear end blew up. i then continued to camp. the next day i went to drive it and it poppedlike crazy making a big noise in rear. i drove it to a garage and they checked my rear differential and said my spider gears in the rear end snapped. there was pieces of gears all through my rear differential. this is a dangerous thing that can happen and has been happening with nissan titans. i notified nissan and was told to take it to a nissan garage, the closest garage is 47 miles i will have to pay for towing and everything there is no recall on the rear axles but there should be because this is happening all over. titan rear ends are to small for the truck. also it is going to cost around 3000 because nissan does not make the parts for rear axle, how pathetic is that! *tr

I have noticed that my rear axle seal is leaking and have been looking into it and everything i have come across says to report it with nhtsa and with the couple of cars i have had for a long time and one was a yr 1979 i have never seen the rear axle leak and they had more miles on them i don't know what is so different between those cars and this one. thank you for your time. *tr

Backing into parking spot, heard loud clunk from rear end, drove throughout day and it got worse when turning or accelerating both forward and reverse. various speeds it occurs, highway, driveway, it does not differ. diagnosed, needs rear axle replacement. garage approximately 2 grand, nissan about 4 grand. *tr

Crew cab short bed. 5.6l. se model. 4wd. 97,171 miles rear differential catastrophically failed in a matter of a couple of miles. progressively louder low frequency growl. clunk when shifting from reverse to drive and vice versa. seeping differential gear oil and seal / bearing failure. considerable metal suspended in differential fluid. all of this happened in a 24 hour period and a couple of miles at low to moderate city street speed. driving history: minimal 4wd operation - primarily in snow and ice during winter. no mudding or off roading. no rock climbing. have factory tow package and trans. tows ultra light 24-foot travel trailer weighing approximately 6,000 lbs (rated to tow 9,500) four to five times a summer. maybe 7,000 towing miles. mainly freeway and city driving. minimal cargo ever in bed. normally empty. *tr

I have a 2005 nissan titan with only 44000 miles on it. during recent driving it sounded as if the right rear was grinding to pieces. it continually got worse so i looked under the truck to see if there was something that was caught and dragging. it was so loud that people would stare at the truck when it passed by. after it was taken to the garage they discovered that the insides of the right rear axle were almost completely torn apart. it was very fortunate that it did not cause a serious problem while driving. they also found that the left axle was leaking and would likely also break down. the cost to repair the truck was over $1700.00. *tr

While taking my 05 titan in for a service appointment (to replace a melted wiring harness from my tailpipe falling off, but that's another story/problem) i heard a soft whine. i reported it to the service manager. he called me back later in the day and told me that it was likely a bearing in the rear differential. he said he couldn't replace the bearing, that the differential was a complete assembly and had to be fully replaced at a cost of $2400. i asked him what he would do, and he said he'd keep driving it until the whine got too obnoxious. so i did not replace it. i picked the truck up on friday, 9/2/11. two days later, while slowing down on a highway to make a turn, i heard a grating sound, followed by the truck locking up. when i got out, the drive shaft was laying on the ground. the differential had locked up. had to be towed. i bought the truck to be able to deliver hay, which with my trailer is about 6,000 pounds. i deliver typically 6 loads a year, and it is about a 10 mile drive to my customer's home. over 90% of my miles on the truck are highway miles, with the cruise on and in 2 wheel drive. i do not take it off road. i only use 4 wheel drive when we have snow on the ground (2 or 3 times a year). the truck is garaged at home and at work. there is no way the differential should be failing on a full size pickup truck under these conditions. i opened a case with nissan consumer affairs, and told them that i felt nissan should pay a substantial percentage of the repair even though the truck had 68,000 miles and the warranty ran out at 60,000 miles. they rejected my claim and paid nothing. *tr

I was driving my 2005 nissan titan crew cab truck. i had heard a clicking while turning a week prior but did not here it again. a few days later when almost home i turned the corner and heard a loud clanking sound in the rear of the truck. as i got right at my street the back end started to freeze up as the tires started to lock up i parked the truck on side of road. tried to move it after i look under the truck but it would not move. i had it towed to the local nissan dealer where i found out that the rear differential needs to be replaced on it at a cost of $4000.00!!!! i have looked online and seen hundreds of complaints on the same issue. nissan is telling me that they have never seen this before. i just thank god that i was next to my house as i would have lost control / got hurt / or hurt someone else if it locked up while driving down the highway. i currently awaiting it to be fixed. not sure what to do? *tr

Driving home from work when rear differential failed as i was crossing intersection. *tr

Both rear axle seals leaked at 38,xxx in 9/2009 and were replaced under warranty. no issues for two years. in 8/2011 driver side is leaking again. tried to express my concerns to nissan and was rejected because of "warranty" issues. seems to be an inherent problem experienced by a lot of 04-07' titan/armada owners. tsb issued by nissan to replace entire axle assembly 5 months after my first leak, but they don't feel it's their responsibility to notify owners who experienced the issue prior to the bulletin. was told by a nissan rep. that the tsb is a guideline for tech's. to properly fix an issue if it arises. i had the issue but it was 5 months before they figured out how to do a "proper" fix, and according to them it doesn't apply to me unless the part or labor or drivetrain was still under warranty. was told that if this was a widespread issue they might offer good faith credit. curious as to how many it will take for them to not turn the blind eye to an obvious problem with what i feel is a safety issue. if there is a problem with the drive axle of a vehicle, i believe that should qualify as a safety issue or recall. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan titan. the contact was traveling uphill at 25 mph when the rear passenger side tire seized. the contact was able to get the vehicle to the dealer and was told that the rear differential failed. the dealer also advised that the failure was a common failure on the particular year and model. the failure mileage was 90,000.

Driving home one evening the truck started making very loud noises in the rear of the vehicle. after checking it several times for obvious problems i took it to a local garage who informed me the rear differential was the problem. they advised there were metal shavings all inside the housing. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan titan. the contact stated while driving various speeds he notice that there was a loud noise in the rear end. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who advised him that there was a metal piece of fragment in the rear differential. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted and offered no assistance. the failure and current mileage was approximately 75,000.

At 54,000 miles the rear differential completely self destructed nissan will do nothing. *tr